Michael Landsberry, pictured with his wife, Sharon, was killed Monday while reportedly trying to talk to the student shooter. / Submitted to the RGJ

Written by

Related Links

Long before he was a hero for his actions Monday at Sparks Middle School, teacher and longtime soccer girls coach Michael Landsberry was a heroic figure to his coaching colleagues and players.

Landsberry was a longtime assistant coach to current Sparks High girls coach Jerry Miller and had served as the Railroaders’ girls junior varsity coach from 2008 to 2012. The two also coached together at Wooster and Hug.

“He was really loved by the players,” Miller said. “He could kind of come off as a gruff dude and a hardline guy, but he was really a pussycat when it came to dealing with players. As a coach, he was my foil; if there were times when I was hard on the players, he would be the teddy bear, or vice versa.”

Sparks junior Mellisa Lopez, who currently plays for the Railroaders’ varsity team, said Landsberry had a natural gift for connecting with his players and knowing how to motivate them.

“He was a great coach, always motivating us to do more,” Lopez, 16, said. “He didn’t like to hear, ‘I can’t do that.’ He taught us it was possible to do things we didn’t think we could do. It made us feel like he really did care about us.”

Landsberry and Miller did not choose the easy road to coaching success. None of the three high schools where they combined their coaching efforts have been known for sustained success in girls sports.

Miller, though, said it was typical of Landsberry’s character to not shy away from a tough assignment.

“We’ve coached at places that are not particular successful when it comes to girls sports,” Miller said. “It’s important (in those situations) to really build strong relationships with the girls. Our girls usually have more than enough issues to deal with. It takes an understanding coach to deal with that.”

Sparks boys varsity coach Frank Avila said Landsberry was the type of coach who always put his players first.

“To know Mike, and to see the way he dealt with the athletes, was to know that he had a very caring demeanor,” Avila said. “He was a joy out on the field to watch. And he wanted the players to know that there was a right way to do things on the field, in the classroom, and in life.”

The Railroaders’ girls varsity team went forward with its Tuesday game at Fernley.“We’re going to go out hard and play our best,” Lopez said before the game began. “(Landsberry) would have wanted us to go out and play hard.”